Hawaii Bowl announcers Tiffany Greene, Jay Walker get rare moment in spotlight

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring … and the only sports on TV was the Hawaii Bowl on ESPN.

The Christmas Eve game pitting South Florida (6-6) against San Jose State (7-5) didn’t bring the same energy as a major bowl, but when you’re the only live major sporting event on U.S. TV, fans will take notice.

On social media, the matchup generated surprising buzz for a minor bowl game.

Out in Honolulu, ESPN had play-by-play announcer Tiffany Greene and color analyst Jay Walker on the game, and the pair, who have worked together for years, made the most of their moment in the spotlight.

Greene, who was the first African-American woman to serve as a play-by-play commentator for college football on a major network, had the opportunity to call some big plays, including this kickoff return touchdown by South Florida’s Ta’Ron Keith.

And here’s Greene on a big interception early in the game.

Unfortunately, everything did not go smoothly for Greene and Walker. Of particular concern, Walker’s audio sounded consistently muddy, as if he were doing the broadcast remotely.

Others on social media were even less charitable in their comments on the announcers.

Yet some fans were left wanting to hear more of Greene and Walker in the future.

[ESPN]